We called him Big D..But the big fella had several nicknames in the newsroom..Some called him Dwayno, The Cowboy, and … well, other names I can’t mention because there might be ladies present..But call him what you want, he was the best damn rodeo writer in Alberta and possibly North America..And it was an honour and a privilege to work with him at the Calgary Sun, and later the Herald..A lot of people feared Big D, because, well … he could be a mean cuss. As mean as they come, in the John Ford brilliant way..But inside, I would later find out, he was a softie with a heart of gold..He was just a cowboy and he grew up in “God’s country,” he would say, east of Edmonton. God help anyone who doubted him. .I first got to know him when I joined the Sun sports team in the mid-1980s..I was a newbie, a raw newbie and I was new to Alberta, too, so the presence of Big D — a rancher turned rodeo journo — was something I could not quite get my head around..Nevertheless in those days, the Sun sports types stuck together; we worked together, golfed together, hit the Top Brass together. .As I recall when Big D hit the bar he would order three shooters of God knows what and then down those in succession. Then, and only then, was he ready to “start” drinking..And it was not unusual to see a tray of shooters appear later in the night, courtesy of The Cowboy, who loved his Rum & Coke..Quite often he would be loaded horizontally into a cab at the end of the night..Once, I actually met him for a quiet night at the Brass, just him and me. And suddenly all his John Wayne-esque outward personality disappeared..He became just a regular guy and I would find out that he travelled to Africa, really enjoyed it, and that he collected flags. Something he never ever admitted when he had his game face on at the Sun..And don’t even try picking up the tab. Not a chance. If you were drinking with Big D, he paid — plain and simple..“Don’t worry about it son,” he would say with that smile on his face. You didn’t dare touch your wallet..He would also tip the copy runner heavy too when they went on a burger run on weekends. The only guy who did so..And after every Stampede, he would often hand me a beautiful Stampede pin without saying a word. And some of them were actually quite elaborate and collectible..And speaking of that game face, when I was promoted to Sunday sports editor I had to manage Big D, which it turned out was easy as pie..I would just give him the biggest story of the day, like the US Open, and two pages. He wouldn’t say a word, just walk away. .And, yes, he always, always blew deadline, but those two pages were the best in the goddam paper. So well written, so well done, so well edited. Big D was a master storyteller and didn’t give a damn about deadlines..His best work, in my opinion, was a series of rodeo pieces he did in the lead-up, and following the Calgary Stampede. He travelled with the cowboys on the infamous “Black Snake” highway through the northwest US..And let me tell you, every single one of those pieces was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. To think of it today, it almost brings me to tears..And my one regret is that I didn’t save those pieces, every one, and put together a book or a blog in his honour. It is one of those treasures that is now buried in the Sun archives..And my boss at the time made me chop down those pieces to fit into the Sun partials. Again, one of my biggest regrets — I should have stood up for the big guy..I should have said something. I should have been a man. .Cutting those pieces down was like chopping a masterpiece. Dwayne should have gotten a page for every story but at the Sun that just was not gonna happen..Anyway, Dwayne would ride on, covering numerous rodeo events in Alberta and Las Vegas throughout his career, in that special Big D style for both the Sun and the Herald..He loved every minute of it and earned the respect of everyone in the business, especially the rodeo cowboys. .I also have to say he inspired me to develop my own writing style and to toss the CP Stylebook — the journalist’s bible — into the garbage..Though he died of cancer at the age of 75, in the spring of 2013, I still channel him to this day on everything I write..There is a famous Willie Nelson song, Mama Don’t Let Your Baby’s Grow Up To Be Cowboys. .And there is one lyric, that described Big D, to a T..Cowboys like smoky old pool rooms and clear mountain mornings,.,Little warm puppies and children and girls of the night,,Them that don’t know him won’t like him and them that do,,Sometimes won’t know how to take him,,He ain’t wrong, he’s just different but his pride won’t let him,,.Do things to make you think he’s right.That, my friends, was Big D. .Oh, right … his name was Dwayne Erickson. Guess I should tell you that, eh?.RIP Big D and keep riding buddy. You were the best..Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .,He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the military editor for the Asia Times.,.makichukd@gmail.com
We called him Big D..But the big fella had several nicknames in the newsroom..Some called him Dwayno, The Cowboy, and … well, other names I can’t mention because there might be ladies present..But call him what you want, he was the best damn rodeo writer in Alberta and possibly North America..And it was an honour and a privilege to work with him at the Calgary Sun, and later the Herald..A lot of people feared Big D, because, well … he could be a mean cuss. As mean as they come, in the John Ford brilliant way..But inside, I would later find out, he was a softie with a heart of gold..He was just a cowboy and he grew up in “God’s country,” he would say, east of Edmonton. God help anyone who doubted him. .I first got to know him when I joined the Sun sports team in the mid-1980s..I was a newbie, a raw newbie and I was new to Alberta, too, so the presence of Big D — a rancher turned rodeo journo — was something I could not quite get my head around..Nevertheless in those days, the Sun sports types stuck together; we worked together, golfed together, hit the Top Brass together. .As I recall when Big D hit the bar he would order three shooters of God knows what and then down those in succession. Then, and only then, was he ready to “start” drinking..And it was not unusual to see a tray of shooters appear later in the night, courtesy of The Cowboy, who loved his Rum & Coke..Quite often he would be loaded horizontally into a cab at the end of the night..Once, I actually met him for a quiet night at the Brass, just him and me. And suddenly all his John Wayne-esque outward personality disappeared..He became just a regular guy and I would find out that he travelled to Africa, really enjoyed it, and that he collected flags. Something he never ever admitted when he had his game face on at the Sun..And don’t even try picking up the tab. Not a chance. If you were drinking with Big D, he paid — plain and simple..“Don’t worry about it son,” he would say with that smile on his face. You didn’t dare touch your wallet..He would also tip the copy runner heavy too when they went on a burger run on weekends. The only guy who did so..And after every Stampede, he would often hand me a beautiful Stampede pin without saying a word. And some of them were actually quite elaborate and collectible..And speaking of that game face, when I was promoted to Sunday sports editor I had to manage Big D, which it turned out was easy as pie..I would just give him the biggest story of the day, like the US Open, and two pages. He wouldn’t say a word, just walk away. .And, yes, he always, always blew deadline, but those two pages were the best in the goddam paper. So well written, so well done, so well edited. Big D was a master storyteller and didn’t give a damn about deadlines..His best work, in my opinion, was a series of rodeo pieces he did in the lead-up, and following the Calgary Stampede. He travelled with the cowboys on the infamous “Black Snake” highway through the northwest US..And let me tell you, every single one of those pieces was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. To think of it today, it almost brings me to tears..And my one regret is that I didn’t save those pieces, every one, and put together a book or a blog in his honour. It is one of those treasures that is now buried in the Sun archives..And my boss at the time made me chop down those pieces to fit into the Sun partials. Again, one of my biggest regrets — I should have stood up for the big guy..I should have said something. I should have been a man. .Cutting those pieces down was like chopping a masterpiece. Dwayne should have gotten a page for every story but at the Sun that just was not gonna happen..Anyway, Dwayne would ride on, covering numerous rodeo events in Alberta and Las Vegas throughout his career, in that special Big D style for both the Sun and the Herald..He loved every minute of it and earned the respect of everyone in the business, especially the rodeo cowboys. .I also have to say he inspired me to develop my own writing style and to toss the CP Stylebook — the journalist’s bible — into the garbage..Though he died of cancer at the age of 75, in the spring of 2013, I still channel him to this day on everything I write..There is a famous Willie Nelson song, Mama Don’t Let Your Baby’s Grow Up To Be Cowboys. .And there is one lyric, that described Big D, to a T..Cowboys like smoky old pool rooms and clear mountain mornings,.,Little warm puppies and children and girls of the night,,Them that don’t know him won’t like him and them that do,,Sometimes won’t know how to take him,,He ain’t wrong, he’s just different but his pride won’t let him,,.Do things to make you think he’s right.That, my friends, was Big D. .Oh, right … his name was Dwayne Erickson. Guess I should tell you that, eh?.RIP Big D and keep riding buddy. You were the best..Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .,He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the military editor for the Asia Times.,.makichukd@gmail.com
